Adhesives are used whenever two or more materials are designed to be joined by cohesion bonding and surface adhesion. Adhesives are commonly used in most non-food consumer products and are fundamental to the manufacturing of these products.
Many commonly used adhesives are of petroleum-derived feedstock molecules such formaldehyde, phenol and methylene diisocyanate. These chemicals are both toxic to humans and animals and are volatile, easily making their way into the air contributing to indoor air pollution. Formaldehyde, for example is classified as a carcinogen. Furthermore, petroleum-based adhesives often require solvents for distribution. Examples of these solvents include methylene chloride, toluene and trichloroethane. As these adhesives set, the solvents are given of as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are a significant contributor to both indoor air pollution as well as water supply pollution around the world. Water-based (water soluble) adhesives represent an attractive alternative to petroleum-based adhesives, as water is inherently nontoxic, non-flammable, and safe to handle. Moreover, preparation of such an adhesive can be derived almost entirely from natural/renewable sources which do not produce VOCs upon curing. Accordingly, non-toxic adhesives that will reduce VOC emission are desirable.